I plan on getting a G20 in the near future and will immediately replace the barrel to reduce "Glock smiles" on hot loads. I will be loading full power rounds with Longshot and 800x but want decent life out of my brass.

Now for the loaded (pun!) question, which aftermarket barrel should I get? Which one has the best casing support and reliability? There are so many out there my head is spinning...

Thanks in advance!

Craig

Objekt

12-29-2010, 11:37

I have a Lone Wolf Distributors replacement barrel in my G20.

The Lone Wolf barrel has a very tight chamber. Lone Wolf doesn't call it a "match" chamber but it's hard to see how it could be any tighter. Case support is as good as it gets in a semiauto. Your brass won't acquire "Glock bulge" using a LW barrel.

The flipside of that is, if you have brass which was already shot in a Glock barrel, it may need special work to get it to go in the Lone Wolf barrel. Something like a EGW U-die, or a Redding G-Rx.

Better yet, start with brass which has never been fired in a Glock barrel. I like Starline. It's the best price and they are offering free shipping.

Conventional rifling means you can shoot whatever - lead, plated, or jacketed. That's the main reason I bought mine, although the better case support is a very good thing as well. Brass should last longer, from not being repeatedly bulged & then reformed near the case head.

Lone Wolf calls theirs a "match" crown, but it's hard to say whether it's any more accurate than the Glock barrel. A stock G20 isn't exactly a target gun.

I hope some others can comment on other brand replacement barrels. Lone Wolf isn't the only choice, it's just one of the cheaper ones.

alwaysshootin

12-29-2010, 13:02

Lonewolf is what I use, best bang for the buck, pun intended!:supergrin:

etravix

12-29-2010, 13:14

I like my Storm Lake barrel. Fit and finish is excellent, perfect drop in and full case support.

MakeMineA10mm

12-29-2010, 15:41

There are a lot of good after-market barrels. Jarvis and Bar-Sto are probably the highest quality (Ultra Match-Grade), but they have pretty proud prices too. I think that's why so many people gravitate towards the Lone Wolf (LWD) barrels. They seem to have just about as good match-quality accuracy with tighter chambers and good rifling and muzzles, but LWD also knows Glocks and you have a much better chance of total reliability with an LWD barrel vs. one of the match guys. (They tend to put 100% into accuracy with some sacrifice to reliability.) Best part is they are not that expensive, either. Another brand with a decent reputation is KKM. Pretty close to LWD quality, possibly a slightly looser chamber, giving even better reliability, but with a small sacrifice in tightness of chamber, so the brass may swell a tiny bit more. Sometimes the differences can depend on which cutter was used and who was running the machine.

crsuribe

12-29-2010, 16:51

And I thought KKM was higher quality and closer to match grade than LWD..

deeHKman

12-29-2010, 18:14

I have a LoneWolf and JR helped me with a s/s spring and ISMI recoil spring. The barrel has been great. I was not looking for the best price but the LW and the Customer Support worked out great for me. The price is just a bonus,d

Craigaz

12-29-2010, 21:50

Thanks Guys! I will be loading new Starline brass (2k on-hand) that is unfired. I really want to get a new barrel slapped in before I start shooting to preserve my brass. Any additional suggestions are welcome!

Craig

etravix

12-29-2010, 22:08

Just thought I'd let you know that Midway USA has the Storm Lake for $134 right now. It usually goes for $160. I have the .357 SIG barrel for my G22 but I might pick up the .40 while the price is down. Now the only reason I want the .40 barrel is because it makes my Glock look pretty. :rofl:

alwaysshootin

12-30-2010, 09:30

Like I said Lone Wolf best bang for the buck! A sponsor on this sight, order one right here!

http://www.lonewolfdist.com/Detail.aspx?PROD=943&CAT=238

:wavey:

whenmonkeysfly

12-31-2010, 13:59

I've got eight or nine LWD barrels and find them to be of excellent quality. Prices are easier on the wallet in most cases. Company stands behind their products too.

xdmikey

01-04-2011, 06:53

i have: kkm, barsto & lwd. the only barrel lwd makes(iirc)is for a glock. and the price is good!

xdmikey

01-04-2011, 08:42

kind of a thread 'jack but:
how do you keep the thread protector on your barrel?
i was shooting my g20 w/lwd threaded barrel. got home and was starting to clean it up and the barrel nut was loose; good thing i didn't lose it at mickey's in the mud!
suggestions?
i use the barrel more for brass care than lead projos.
tia

crsuribe

01-04-2011, 17:52

From what I've read KKM is a great brand.

Kegs

01-05-2011, 17:12

KKM had what I wanted in stock. So I bought one from them. It is a fine barrel. It does not have a fully supported chamber, but it is a lot better than the stock Glock chamber.

For comparison, I have measured these:

Distance that the feed ramp intrudes into the chamber of the barrel:

Stock Glock: 0.110"
Federal arms .40 s&w conversion:0.096" (lesser around a wider area on either side adjacent to the feed ramp)
KKM:0.072"

You might not think these tolerances are much, but with enough pressure in there, the brass will push into the feed ramp area and extra pressure will cause a case rupture where it is not supported by the barrel. The more case support you have, the better and support w/ a reasonably tight chamber with 360 degrees around the web to the mouth is best.

I think that if lone wolf would have had an extended length barrel in stock, I may have bought it from them instead. I have no reason to believe they aren't equivalent in quality to KKM.

Still, I would much rather have a barrel that has a fully supported chamber with absolutely no barrel ramp intrusion into the chamber. Bar-sto may very well do this, though I am not sure. I know such a barrel will work in a Glock with 100% reliability so long as the cartridges are loaded properly. Why some of the manufacturers don't do this is beyond me.

Maybe they think the world could use a few more smiles? :supergrin::supergrin::supergrin: